In the last of his 35 seasons as head tennis coach, Rochelle’s Mike Pence has an unusual challenge: He has a squad that is packed with seniors, but not with experience.

“It’s unique,” Pence said. “Usually, I have had about half of the lineup juniors and the other half seniors.”

Rochelle nine seniors on its 12-man staff, but seven of them mainly played exhibition matches on varsity as juniors.

Kalvin Parker is one of the newcomers expected to make an impact for a team that returns just two starters from last year.

“It’s a lot different from playing on JV,” said Parker, who plays No. 2 singles. “The game is a lot faster and played at a higher level now. It’s been an adjustment, but I love being a part of the top 8 because that’s where you want to be when playing varsity.”

Pence said it has been a challenge in getting the newer players up to speed. The cold weather didn’t help matters at the start of the season.

“We really didn’t get a lot of good practices in,” Pence said. “It’s only been in the last five days that we’re getting more consistent in our play and being more aggressive.”

After last week’s 3-2 win over Sterling Newman, Pence said he felt more confident about his team’s improvement.

“I’m not discouraged,” said Pence, whose team finished sixth in the NIB-12 Conference last year. “They are super focused and committed to playing well.”

Seniors Brendan O’Rorke and Jason Pierce are the two returning veterans. O’Rorke is a four-year varsity player and had played No. 1 singles the past three years. Pierce made the move to varsity last season and is at No. 1 doubles.

Pierce’s doubles partner is senior newcomer Alex Escobar.

“We’re getting better,” Escobar said. “I have a strong forehand and he has a great backhand, so we get along well together.”

Rounding out the rest of the positions are Miguel Astudillo and Mario Belmonte at No. 2 doubles, while Josh Goshko and Chance Bolin are at No. 3 doubles.

“The first five matches of the year, we had so many different lineups,” Pence said. “I think I like the combinations we have now.”

The Hubs hope it all adds up to a climb in the final NIB-12 standings, and a fond farewell to Pence.